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If God is a person, it follows that our relations with God are personal relations. ... God is not a Thing. Nor is he an Idea. If we were Platonists, we might believe that there was some technique whereby we could emancipate ourselves from the shackles of our earthly existence and put ourselves on a level with the Forms. But God, being a living spirit, has a different sort of existence from the dead timelessness of the Forms. Knowledge of him is not like knowledge of mathematical truths, which any man can set himself to come to know, but like knowledge of persons, and is essentially an interchange between two parties, requiring not only our wish to know, but his willingness to be known.
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So you think you understand the cosmological argument? Well, here's the article. http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2011/07/so-you-think-you-understand.html Also The New Philistinism on the "new atheists". http://www.american.com/archive/2010/march/the-new-philistinism/?searchterm=feser
Where was the conviction that to wage war against inequality is the church’s responsibility and not a political ideology? Where were those farsighted believers who could offer a voice of reason and hope to the task? Where was the manpower and funding to carry out this visible love of Christ? Why do we always settle for hindsight instead of foresight, reproducing instead of originating, getting on the bandwagon instead of leading the charge? Because a spirit of anti-intellectualism keeps us uninformed we can only attack and not contribute.
This book is a dandy — a little social commentary full of Chesterton’s ever-so-fun-and-clever humor and incredible way of making you realize that the ways in which we humans think is often the exact opposite of what we ought to think. The content is, I suppose, a bit dated… it is intended for the turn-of-the-century (the last turn, not this one) English reader; as such, issues such as women’s suffrage might appear to be entirely culturally irrelevant. If read in its historical context, however, it can function both as a history lesson and poignant (in its time) social commentary. And, needless to say, as with all truly good observations about something in the past, there is a good deal which is extremely pertinent to the current social condition… even in those things that might appear outmoded. A good read. ~ Fred Schultz
Karen Stone (Augsburg Fortress Press: Mar 2003), 160 pages.
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"Many people are frustrated at their first encounter with a work of art
that seems inscrutable or meaningless," notes artist/art educator Stone
(Univ. of Texas). "I have a passion to help those who want to be less
confused by the art they see to find meaning in art and even, through
their encounter with art, to discern in it the Spirit's voice." With
this lofty goal, Stone looks at art as the embodiment of the
transcendent, providing specific tools to help the general reader look
at a work of art in a more detailed and meaningful way (with
observations on color, form, composition, etc.), as well as to find a
spiritual meaning and connection to the work of art. Employing a
Judeo-Christian perspective, she shows how the communal experience of
visual art can transform the visible Word to the prophetic Word. She
uses examples from Velazquez (Las Meninas), Picasso (Guernica), Goya,
Van Gogh, herself, and others and encourages readers to seek examples
of their own from art books, galleries, and museums. A thoughtful
combination of art appreciation and spiritual aesthetics. ~ Marcia Welsh, Dartmouth Coll., for Library Journal
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Online resources, information, and media. Habermas is distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University. Habermas has dedicated his professional life to the examination of the relevant historical, philosophical, and theological issues surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus. His extensive list of publications and debates provides a thorough account of the current state of the issue. Christian believers as well as unbelievers may find within the contents of this site a strong argument for the philosophical possibility of miracles and the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, as well as the theological and practical implications of this event.
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"This blog is about faith & culture and features the musings of Jim and Amy Spiegel (and occasional special guests of whom we are fond or at least don’t despise). Each month we post, in some form or another, on theology, philosophy, current events, books, film, and music. Read at your own pace and pleasure. Interact with us. Floss daily. Jim Spiegel holds a PhD from Michigan State and is a professor of philosophy at Taylor University. He is the author of several books, a popular speaker, and a self-produced musician."
Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein (Penguin Group: Feb 2009), 320 pages.
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A groundbreaking discussion of how we can apply the new science of choice architecture to nudge people toward decisions that will improve their lives by making them healthier, wealthier, and more free. Yes, there is such a thing as common sense—and thank goodness for that. At least that's this reader's reaction to Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein's Nudge, an engaging and insightful tour through the evidence that most human beings don't make decisions in the way often characterized (some would say caricatured) in elementary economics textbooks, along with a rich array of suggestions for enabling many of us to make better choices, both for ourselves and for society. ~ Benjamin M. Friedman of The New York Times
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What happens when the immovable object of faith meets the irresistible force of sophisticated unbelief? Too often, says Dr. Jerry Gill, the believer either retreats out of earshot, saying that faith is "better felt than told," or he tries to build a "foolproof" logical system too airtight even for God. This book suggests a third option: risking an open-minded "dialogue" with challenges to faith, examining presuppositions on both sides and acknowledging valid contributions of other views while maintaining responsible religious commitment. "As I understand it, a dialogical posture is one that takes the matters
of religious reality and truth so seriously as to require extreme
openness to and growth toward them, as well as radical sincerity and
commitment to them. Thus, all sides and aspects of an issue must be
explored with humble thoroughness, and whatever is deemed worthy of
commitment must be incorporated into one's life with integrity." ~ Quote